It’s that time of year again! The annual Out On The Shelves campaign runs this year for the entire month of June. Out on the Shelves is an online resource that connects rainbow young people with the stories that represent them. During their Campaign Month libraries have the opportunity to promote Out on the Shelves and the rainbow items in our collections, take part in the annual Display Competition, and uplift and celebrate rainbow people and stories across Aotearoa. This year we have a number of exciting activities and events running across out libraries for Out on the Shelves – read on to f ..read more

What a fabulous selection of new books we have in the collection this month! There are so many that we can’t share them all here, but you can get a glimpse of what’s on offer from our selection below. Are you a fan of outer space, warring dinosaur kingdoms, or life on the moon? Do you like reading about interesting new sewing projects, supernatural adventures, or …poo? There’s something here for kids of all ages and interests to explore! Picture Books Three little monkeys and the Grand Hotel / Blake, Quentin “Hilda Snibbs has gone to stay at the Grand Hotel with her three little monkeys, Tim a ..read more

Tālofa Lava! Welcome to Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa, Sāmoan Language Week 2024!  What is Sāmoa Language Week?  Sāmoan Language Week | Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa is celebrated this year from 26th May – 1st June 2024. This is a chance for all New Zealanders to celebrate Sāmoan language, Sāmoan culture in New Zealand and around the world, and to promote the use of Sāmoan language in schools, at work and at home.  This year’s theme for Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa is:  “Tautua I le alofa, manuia e lumana’i” which means  “Serve in love for a blessed future” Tautua i le alofa? Ser ..read more

The basis for so many wonderful gems in our collection of children’s fiction lies in the question of what it would be like to travel back into the past. In these books, we also meet characters who encounter children from other times, as though they have stepped from one time into another: a time slip. Clocks striking 13, medieval mansions, magical statues in mysterious gardens, sleeping in a certain bed or dressing up in historical clothing – discover what trigger it might be that could open a window for you to explore another world! Amorangi and Millie’s trip through time / Keenan, Lauren (Ch ..read more

Kia ora and ¡Hola! Here at Wellington City Libraries we are celebrating Aotearoa Spanish Language Week. Hablas espanol? Do you speak Spanish? Hablo un poco de Español (Eh-span-yole). I speak a little Spanish  ¿Dónde estás? Where are you? Estoy en le biblioteca. I am at the library. ¿Sabías? Did you know? There are over 500 million speakers of Spanish worldwide. This is mainly because the Spanish colonised many different parts of the world. Countries with Spanish as an official language are called Hispanic. Most of them are in the Americas, which make up Latin America. Hispanophone ..read more

Noaʻia ʻe mḁuri gagaj ʻatakoa! Welcome to Gasav Ne Fäeag Rotuạm Ta | Rotuman Language Week 2024 Download a Rotuman Language Week Poster! What is Rotuman Language Week? Rotuman Language Week is the first in a series of Pasifika Language Weeks that are celebrated in Aotearoa, New Zealand. New Zealand is the only country in the world where the languages and culture of our Pasifika cousins are celebrated. Fäeag Rotuạm, the Rotuman language, is the first of eleven Pasifika language weeks this year, and it runs from the 12 – 18 May 2024. Where is Rotuma you ask? The main island of Rotuma is about 1 ..read more

Did you know that every May is a special time in New Zealand? It’s when we celebrate New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week, a fantastic opportunity to honour and recognise the importance of NZSL as one of our country’s official languages alongside te reo Māori. During NZSL Week, we have the chance to learn about the rich and diverse culture of the Deaf community. It is a time for everyone to come together, break down any barriers that may exist, and make sure everyone feels included and valued. A fantastic way to engage with NZSL Week is by exploring resources like the official website, where ..read more

Te Ara Pukapuka has now landed at Central Park, Brooklyn, with a brand new pukapuka carefully selected for this location! We previously let you know that Central Park was the location for the next installation of Te Ara Pukapuka, but we didn’t tell you which pukapuka you’d be reading as you follow the path through the park! Now that it’s there and ready to read, we can make the announcement! Our Te Ara Pukapuka welcome page Wellington City Libraries and the Wellington City Parks, Sport & Recreation team have partnered with author Marion Day and the Upstream: Friends of Cen ..read more

If you haven’t heard already, it’s only a few days until May 12th when Tūhono submissions close, and we still want your poems! Tūhono is Wellington City Libraries’ annual poetry journal for kids and teens. You can find more info about how to submit, as well as this year’s theme, here. Poetry can be a daunting form of writing for anyone, but it needn’t be! The library has lots of cool books with some great examples and techniques for crafting your own poem. You may think that your poem needs to be incredibly wise or complex, but as poet Carol Ann Duffy once said: You can find poetry in your ev ..read more

So far Te Ara Pukapuka has travelled around the city from Churchill Park in Seatoun, to Khandallah Park, to Kilbirnie Park, to Waihinahina Park in Newlands, to Karori Park, to the latest installment which will be arriving at Central Park on May 11! For the Autumn 2024 installment at Central Park we have a brand new pukapuka that has been carefully chosen for this location. Wellington City Libraries and Wellington City Parks, Sport & Recreation got in touch with Upstream: Friends of Central Park and asked them if there were any particular themes, any critters or creatures that lived ar ..read more